The Commitments

Roddy Doyle’s best selling novel, The Commitments has been adapted into a full scale stage musical that will make its world debut at the Palace Theatre in the Autumn of 2013.

The Commitments is set in Dublin in the 1980’s and is the tale of an aspiring band manager, Jimmy Rabbitte and a group of aspiring musicians who get together in the hope of forming a band. Jimmy wants to manage the world’s greatest soul band and, like a true businessman, he holds auditions at his parents’ house along in the hope of discovering musical talent. Unlike Jimmy’s soul idols such as Aretha Franklin and Ottis Reading, Jimmy finds himself with a group of white and weedy musicians. Hell bent on transforming the group into something great, Jimmy names the band “The Commitments” and together they attempt to head up an Irish soul revolution.

The Commitments include the famous soul numbers “Mustang Sally”, “In the Midnight Hour” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”

The Commitments was also adapted into a film in 1991 which was voted as “the best Irish film of all time” in a 2005 poll a sponsored by Jamerson Irish Whiskey. Like the film, the stage production of The Commitments is likely to be a close adaptation of the novel and hopes to secure similar popularity and success.

Dublin truly takes over London’s West End as The Commitments follows in the footsteps of successful Irish musical, Once, which opened at the Phoenix Theatre in April to a generally warm critical response.

Cast and Creative

The Commitments was written by Roddy Doyle and will be directed by the celebrated director Jamie Lloyd, who has worked on a number of successful productions in the last few years including the sell out run of Macbeth starring James McAvoy at the Trafalgar Studios. Set design is by Soutra Gilmour, with Lighting Design by Jon Clark and Sound Design by Rory Madden. Ann Yee provides the choreography, alongside Alan Williams and Musical Supervisor and Arranger.